Gitea vs GitHub Issues

Self-host swap-in for GitHub Issues. · Self-host GitHub Issues · Gitea on os-alt

Gitea is one of the open-source self-host replacements for GitHub Issues — license MIT, 10min (single Go binary or docker-compose) to stand up, and $5 vps easily — very low footprint. Compare against GitHub Issues's Free for public repos; $4/user/mo for private (Team) below.

	Giteaopen-source	GitHub Issuespaid SaaS
Category	Issue tracking (for code repos)	Issue tracking (for code repos)
License / pricing	`MIT`	Free for public repos; $4/user/mo for private (Team)
Starting price	$0 self-host	$4/user/mo
GitHub	go-gitea/gitea ★ 55.7k · last commit todayalive	closed source
Setup time	10min (single Go binary or docker-compose)	SaaS — sign up + bill
Monthly cost	$5 VPS easily — very low footprint.	from $4/user/mo (Free for public repos; $4/user/mo for private (Team))

Switching from GitHub Issues to Gitea

Gitea → Site Administration → Migrations → New Migration → GitHub. Paste a GitHub PAT; it pulls repos with issues, PRs (as issues), labels, milestones, and wiki.

Good fit for: Teams that want a GitHub-shaped experience including code hosting + CI (Gitea Actions).
Weak at: Smaller integration ecosystem than GitHub.

Other open-source self-host alternatives to GitHub Issues

Forgejo
MIT (with copyleft for some modules)10min (Gitea-compatible images)$5 VPS.
GitLab CE
MIT30-60min (Omnibus package or docker)$20+ VPS — wants 8GB RAM minimum, hungry stack.

Gitea also replaces

Bitbucket— Git hosting + Pipelines
GitLab— DevOps platform / git hosting + CI

In a terminal? npx os-alt github-issues prints GitHub Issues's self-host options — how the CLI works →

FAQ

Is Gitea a free alternative to GitHub Issues?

Yes — Gitea is open source under MIT. Self-host cost: $5 VPS easily — very low footprint.. GitHub Issues starts at $4/user/mo (Free for public repos; $4/user/mo for private (Team)).

How long does Gitea take to set up vs GitHub Issues?

Self-hosting Gitea: 10min (single Go binary or docker-compose). GitHub Issues is a hosted SaaS — sign up and you're in.

What is Gitea good at, and what is it weak at?

Good fit for: Teams that want a GitHub-shaped experience including code hosting + CI (Gitea Actions).. Weak at: Smaller integration ecosystem than GitHub..